Stress Relief
by Dancingdog
Summary: Prequel to "Light of my life" Dean and Gabriel can't stand each other, but both agree that mutual 'Stress relief' sessions would do them both some good. Soon they realise that their feelings for each other may have grown a little deeper than anticipated...


Dean was happy for his little brother. Really he was.

So what if Sammy had found happiness with Cas? They both deserved it after everything Team Free Will had been put through. He wasn't jealous. Not one bit.

He glanced at the empty beer bottle in his hand and then down to its four look-a-likes on the floor. They mocked him. 'Yeah, whatever you say,' they teased.

He decided he needed some fresh air.

He dumped the bottles and stalked outside with a polishing rag and a bucket of water. A sponge bobbed in the water and Dean glared at its care-free attitude.

He wasn't jealous, really.

He began to systematically clean his car as his mind wandered.

It wasn't as if he didn't want his brother to be happy, or Cas for that matter, but Dean couldn't believe that after all this time of them just being friends, Sam had taken it upon himself to kiss the Angel after a particularly horrific hunt. Granted, Cas had been ambushed by Angels and had almost died, would have if it hadn't been for Gabriel's sudden appearance and Sam and Dean's distraction skills, but still, did Sam have to get all girly and confess his undying love for the blue-eyed seraph? Not that Cas rejected him, mind you. The Angel seemed incredibly pleased by the turn of events, possibly even expected it.

When did that happen anyway? Since when did Cas change his tone from " _Abomination_ " to " _You are not taking Sam Winchester, I won't let you_ "? If Dean walked in on one more make-out fest between the two, he was going to bleach his eyeballs. It had been two months since they had started sucking each other's faces off, surely the initial fun must have diminished by now?

Dean shook his head. He was being unreasonable. Sam and Cas were good together. They grounded each other and looked out for one another when Dean couldn't. They were his best friends and he trusted no one more than Cas to keep his brother safe.

Still, it wasn't fair that Cas and Sammy were both getting laid and he was garnering a case of blue-balls.

He scrubbed at a particularly stubborn patch of bird muck.

"Wow. Rub any harder and you're gonna have to replace the whole windscreen."

Dean grit his teeth.

"What are you doing here, Gabriel?"

The Archangel clicked his fingers and a lollipop materialised between them.

"Making sure you don't destroy your beloved car."

Dean whirled around.

"Mission accomplished. Now leave."

Gabriel pretended to think about this for a few moments, then smirked.

"No."

Dean almost growled. It was no secret that he and the former Trickster never got along and no matter how many times Cas pleaded Dean to just put up with his brother (after all, Gabriel was a powerful Archangel and therefore a strong ally in this world of Angelic war and Demon chaos), Dean made it absolutely clear that the Archangel was in no way welcome inside the bunker's walls.

Not that Gabriel seemed to care.

He strolled in whenever he felt like it and the times when he wasn't helping with a difficult hunt, it was obvious that he had no other reason for dropping by than to harass Dean. He would flirt obnoxiously, just because he knew Dean would get flustered, he would leave sweet wrappers all over the floors, he would swap Dean's classic rock tapes out for something girly like Justin Bieber and he would incessantly play pranks on Dean and only Dean.

He had once asked Sam why he never got pranked and the younger Winchester had shrugged and replied: "He's Cas' brother and honestly, not all that bad of a guy once you get to know him. He's actually really kind when he wants to be and he cares a lot for Cas."

Dean wanted to point out that he had killed him over a hundred times just to make Sam learn a lesson and dumped them both in TV land to live out painful game shows and horrible cop dramas, but Sam had been instantly distracted when Cas appeared beside them.

Easy to say that Dean wasn't Gabriel's greatest fan.

"Do you want something or not? Kinda busy here." Dean gestured to his car and Gabriel snorted.

"Yeah. You're the definition of hard laboured."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned back to the sponge.

"Get lost, Shrimpy."

"Woah. You think of that one all by yourself?"

Dean startled when the Archangel draped himself over the bonnet of the car, before he contemplated dumping the bucket of cool water over the annoying Trickster.

"Gabriel-"

"You think really loud, you know."

Dean froze. "What?"

Gabriel examined his fingernails. "You. Your thoughts might as well be projected through a megaphone."

Dean wondered if it was possible to strangle an Archangel.

"You've been listening to my thoughts?" He growled instead.

"No, it is not possible to strangle an Angel. Not for a human anyway. And yes. I have been reading your mind, quite often. As I said, you're a very louder thinker."

"Get off my car and out of my sight."

"I was thinking we could do something together."

"LEAVE!"

"Blue-balls, huh?"

Dean sputtered in a mixture of rage and embarrassment before bodily hauling the Angel off his car until he heard a satisfying thump.

Gabriel scowled at him from the floor, then climbed to his feet.

"Sheesh. I offer you some fun and that's how you treat me? No wonder you aren't having any luck with the ladies. Or anyone for that matter."

Dean snarled and pressed the shorter man against the side of the car.

"Stay out of my head."

"Why? I rather enjoy watching all those dirty fantasies of yours. You have a very creative mind you know. The one with the girls dressed up as an Angel and Devil is one of my favourites. Too bad you've got no one to test them on." Gabe wiggled his eyebrows and Dean pulled a face in disgust.

"Why on Earth would I want to hook up with you?"

"Why not? I've got a lot to offer! After all that time I spent with the Pagans, I've picked up a few tricks. It'd be the best sex you've ever had!"

Dean pulled another face and recoiled from Gabriel and the Archangel rolled his eyes.

"I hope you're still not holding onto the straight card. Hate to tell you, but I think that train left years ago."

Dean turned his back to Gabriel. How stupid did the Angel think he was? Of course he knew he wasn't only attracted to breasts. He'd known that since he was seventeen. What was bothering him was the fact that Gabriel had suddenly propositioned him when they hated each other so passionately. What was the catch? Was this some sort of prank? Why did Gabriel even think that he would have the inclination to say 'yes'?

"No catch, Dean-o. You want sex, I want sex. You're not that bad-looking, I'm an all-powerful Demigod. You're sick of hearing my little brother and your little brother getting it on and I want to give them a taste of their own medicine after walking in on them doing unspeakable things to each other on the kitchen counter right next to where I keep my back-up supply of Kit Kats."

Dean rolled his eyes. "You want to get revenge for walking in on them too many times? That's shallow. You should be happy for your brother."

"Right, because you're all sunshine and rainbows about the fact that your brother's getting laid and you're not."

Dean chose not to reply to that. "What's this really about?"

Gabriel huffed and folded his arms over his chest.

"I'm stressed. There's a war up in Heaven and my brothers and sisters are tearing at each other's throats. I want something to take my anger out on that doesn't involve any more killing or destroying things."

"And you want me to be that something?"

"You are one of the few beings who actually knows what and who I am. You've proved your durability more times than I can count, which makes you the perfect candidate for my stress relief scheme."

"You think I can withstand whatever you want to do with me."

"Precisely."

Dean sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He had to admit, the offer was tempting. Dean wasn't exactly the most laid-back person in the world and between all the monsters and responsibilities they had to deal with on a regular basis, the offer of venting his frustrations on the Trickster, a man he hated anyway, was one not to be casually dismissed.

"And it would just be sex? Nothing else?"

Gabriel looked mildly surprised that Dean was even contemplating this.

"Of course. You go about your daily business and on a night, we have some rough fun and I'll be gone before you even open your eyes the next morning."

Dean stared at the Angel for a few seconds, relishing the way Gabriel shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Deal," he said and Gabriel's gaze snapped to him, shocked.

He looked like he was about to ask a question, but thought better of it and his trademark smirk settled back into place.

"Glad you see things my way, kiddo." And with a snap of his fingers, he vanished.

* * *

Gabriel was true to his word. The next day Dean went about his average business, following a lead for what sounded like a Wraith up in Illinois and resolutely trying to ignore the doe eyes Sam and Cas kept giving each other in the backseat of the Impala.

They didn't find the creature the first day as it seemed to be keeping a low profile, so they agreed to wait for a clue as to which ward in the hospital it frequented. They booked into a motel and settled down for the night.

Gabriel showed up just as Dean locked the door to his separate room.

The Angel threw him onto the bed and they wrestled for dominance before Dean gave up, his weariness from being out on the road for so long finally catching up to him, letting Gabriel have his way with him.

The Angel hadn't been wrong when he said it would be the best sex of his life.

The next morning, Dean woke up alone yet feeling calmer than he had in months and he didn't seem to mind when the run-down motel shower spurted cold water at him in bursts.

They found the Wraith relatively quickly and Sam grinned at his brother's odd cheeriness.

For the next three months, Gabriel would pop in on Dean when he was getting ready for bed and the two would get down and dirty before Gabriel would vanish before the first dregs of light cracked through the crummy blinds of whatever dank motel they were staying in that evening.

Through the daytime, Gabriel would pester Dean and Dean would lash out (usually verbally, but sometimes physically) just as they always had and neither Sam, nor Cas suspected a thing.

Dean never thought anything of it until one day, he was caught off-guard by a Demon. She wasn't all that smart, but she was quiet enough for Dean not to hear her creeping up on him when he was busy exorcising her companion.

Sam and Cas were both in different parts of the abandoned warehouse, trying to find the souls that the Demons had been collecting for part of their army, so it was too late when Cas felt Dean's distress.

However, Gabriel appeared in an instant, fire in his eyes as he unleashed part of his grace and dropped every Demon lurking in the building. He pulled the sword from Dean's back as gently as he could and healed the wound whilst Dean stared up at him with wide eyes.

Gabriel wouldn't look at him.

Eventually Sam and Cas ran into the room, but stopped short when they saw that Gabriel had already taken care of the problem.

Later that night, when Gabriel materialised in his room, Dean cornered him.

"You were awfully quick for someone who was supposed to be occupied in Heaven."

Gabriel scowled. "Fine. Next time I'll let you die."

Dean sighed. "I'm not saying I'm not grateful."

"Then what do you want? I felt your pain so I came to help. I've helped you three numbskulls before."

"Not when you're supposed to be busy in Heaven."

Gabriel glowered. "I didn't want to lose my bedmate, alright?"

Dean decided to drop the subject, but he made sure that he was in charge when they tumbled into bed.

* * *

Two weeks later, Gabriel limped into the bunker, bloodied and battered.

Cas tried to heal the wounds but was horrified when he realised that they were created by Angel blades. He scurried off to clean them in a more humanly manner.

Unfortunately, he had never had use for suturing and found that he needed one of the Winchesters to help him. Dean was the more experienced of the two and he sat beside Gabriel as he silently stitched up a deep gash between his shoulder blades.

Sam, having suspicions about what was going on between the pair, dragged Cas off to the local pharmacy to get some painkillers and more bandages.

Dean vowed to chop off his little brother's hair whilst he slept.

Gabriel screwed his face up in pain as Dean sealed the skin back together and the elder Winchester mumbled out an apology.

"What happened to you anyway?" Dean asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence and Gabriel sighed.

"I overheard some Angels plotting to torture Cas for information, so I told them that if they even thought about laying a hand on him, I'd make sure they didn't have hands. They didn't take it too well."

"I thought you were higher than them?"

"I am and they used to respect me. But fleeing Heaven doesn't look good on a resume and now they know for definite that I'm on Cas' side, so my relationship levels with them have kinda dropped through to Hell."

Dean stayed silent. Hearing that Gabriel was in full support of Cas and by default, them, gave him hope that they weren't alone in Heaven and Hell's wars.

Maybe Sam wasn't too far off the mark when he said that Gabriel cared about his brother.

He noticed that Gabriel was unusually quiet. Usually the Angel would be reading his mind (much to his irritation) and be making quips about his thoughts. Although, he could just be in a lot of pain.

Ten minutes passed before Dean commented: "You're quiet."

Gabriel huffed. "So are you."

There was another awkward pause.

"Why did you save me the other week? And don't say that it was because I'm Cas' pet or something."

Gabe didn't answer for so long that Dean didn't think he was going to get one.

"I guess I've grown used to you being there."

Dean hesitated with the next stitch. What did that mean?

"I guess I've grown used to you being around as well." He replied slowly.

A troubled look crossed Gabriel's face, but it was gone before Dean could make any assumptions.

He worked in silence for the next hour, being extra careful not to aggravate Gabriel's wounds further.

* * *

They didn't have sex for a month, opting to let Gabe's wounds heal first. During that time, Gabriel spent more and more time around his brother and the Winchesters. He'd help them with cases, even tagging along every so often and would often potter about the kitchen baking things, claiming that he'd always had a sweet tooth but never really had the chance to make anything from scratch. Dean had argued that he could snap things into existence whenever he wanted but Gabriel had given him a knowing smirk and replied that it wasn't the same. After the first apple pie Gabriel had baked, Dean fully agreed.

The longer Gabe spent with them, the more he became like a mother-hen, much to the amusement of Sam because the Archangel seemed intent on checking that Cas was unharmed every time they came back from a hunt. Sam's snickers soon stopped when Gabriel began checking him as well.

Dean was sure he'd caught Gabriel sneaking a glance at him every so often when he thought the elder Winchester wasn't looking.

One night, after a particularly quiet day where nothing fatal had happened, Gabriel slipped into Dean's room and roughly yanked Dean's clothes off. Dean pushed Gabriel onto the bed and tore his clothes off but paused when he saw the ugly scars residing over Gabe's body.

Gabriel frowned and rolled his hips against Dean's but the elder Winchester stopped him.

Dean glanced at Gabriel's eyes and was that... rejection?

He tried not to think about it as he claimed Gabriel's mouth. Gabriel's eyes widened at the gentleness before he arched upwards into Dean's body and the human shifted into a better position as he took the Angel as carefully as possible.

The next morning, Gabriel had the urge to press a soft kiss to Dean's forehead before he left.

Dean woke up feeling lonelier than usual.

* * *

Two weeks later, Dean found himself alone in the bunker and bored. He wandered the corridors and came to a halt outside a bedroom they'd never had a reason to set up. He stared at the blank walls and the bare in-built bed for a few minutes before grabbing the keys to the Impala and riding to the nearest DIY shop.

When he returned he disappeared into the empty room and re-emerged six hours later when he was satisfied.

Later that evening as he was getting ready for bed, Gabriel popped into his room with a confused frown.

"Is someone staying over?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You set up one of the spare rooms. You put a set of drawers and a bedside cabinet in there to boot. You've even painted the walls that warm golden colour."

As Dean stared at Gabe, he vaguely realised that the paint matched the Archangel's eyes. Huh.

He shrugged as he dumped his dirty clothes in the linen basket, wondering why Gabriel sounded hurt.

"It's yours."

Gabriel blinked. "Huh?"

"I figured you're around here often enough, you might as well have your own room."

Gabriel seemed at a loss for words.

"...But Angels don't sleep."

"So? Cas has his own room. He doesn't sleep in it, but he likes to read in there sometimes. It good to have a little privacy. Besides, you said you liked sleep."

Suddenly, Dean found himself overbalancing and he fell to the floor, Gabriel in his lap and his lips being smashed into by another pair.

He groaned when Gabriel ground their pelvises together and his arms quickly wrapped around the Angel to keep him in place.

Gabe's tongue slipped into his mouth and Dean noted that there was something different about this than their usual mutual stress-relief sessions.

"Bed. Now," growled Gabriel as he hauled the human to his feet and dragged him to the bed.

Gabriel sucked at his throat once he was straddling the older Winchester and Dean let out a ragged moan as Gabriel rolled his hips torturously over his.

They hadn't even removed their clothes and Dean was considering begging.

"Gabriel-"

The Angel nipped at his bottom lip in reprimand.

"Quiet."

Dean pawed desperately at the Angel's clothes and Gabriel smirked and began to unbutton Dean's shirt, licking and nipping down his chest as he did so.

Dean gasped. This was new. There was something different about this.

When he'd removed Dean's shirt, Gabriel began teasing at the bared skin and Dean arched up, seeking more friction, which Gabriel gladly gave, but unfortunately, he still had clothes on.

"Gabe, please-"

Gabriel claimed Dean's mouth again, playfully rolling his hips as he did so and Dean let out a small whimper.

The Angel's gaze softened and he nuzzled at Dean's stubbled chin.

"You didn't have to do that for me."

Suddenly, it all clicked for Dean; why the Angel had sounded so hurt, why he had practically ambushed Dean, why tonight felt different from all the other nights and he felt a small sliver of fear when he realised how much he wanted Gabriel for something more than their previous agreement. However, when he gazed into Gabriel's eyes and saw his own need reflected there, he had a burst of courage and he tilted the Angel's head so he could kiss him properly.

"You think I'd give someone else a home before I gave you one?"

Gabriel's eyes were so full of hope that Dean had to press their lips together once more and this time, the kiss was slow, relaxed, as if they had all the time in the world.

When they broke apart, Gabe's eyes were still closed and Dean cupped his cheek sweetly and caressed it with his thumb.

Gabe sighed quietly and Dean heard all his doubts and worries being exhaled. He kissed him again. He was quickly developing a new favourite hobby.

Gabriel smiled a rare, beautifully genuine smile and Dean grinned back, excited for the new turn of events.

Gabriel picked up on his excitement and chuckled softly before claiming his mouth again, their hands beginning to wander across each other's bodies.

Their evening was unhurried as they explored this new development between them and two hours later, Dean curled into Gabriel's chest, delighting in the way strong arms wound around him protectively.

He yawned as he settled down.

"Gabe?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise you won't leave in the morning?"

The grip around his shoulders tightened and Dean felt Gabriel grin into his hair.

"I promise."

Dean did not wake up alone the next morning.

* * *

It took a while for Dean to realise that Gabriel had stopped peeking into his thoughts months ago, but six weeks after their revelation, Dean admitted that maybe he had been a little jealous of his brother and Cas. Gabriel had laughed and said " _yeah, a little_ " before Dean had whisked him back into what had become their room and punished him for his sarcasm.

* * *

 _A/N: Hope you liked it! This was a request from onlydean over on A03 so please feel free to give me prompts or suggestions for fics to keep me occupied!_


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